A monk had a brother living in the world who was poor, and so he supplied him with all he received from his work. But the more the monk supplied, the poorer the brother became. So the monk went to tell an old man about it. The old man said to him ‘if you want my advice do not give him anything more but say to him, “Brother, when I had something I supplied you; now bring me what you get from your work” Take all he brings you and whenever you see a stranger or a poor man give him some of it, begging him to pray for him.’
The monk went away and did this. When his secular brother came he spoke to him as the old man had said, and the brother went sadly away. The first day, taking some vegetables from his field, he brought them to the monk. The monk took them and gave them to the old men, begging them to pray for his brother and after the blessing he returned home. In the same way, another time the brother brought the monk vegetables and 3 loaves which he took, doing as on the first occasion and having received the blessing he went away. And the secular brother came a third time bringing many provisions, some bread and fish.
Seeing this, the monk was full of wonder and he invited the poor so as to give them some refreshment. Then he said to his brother ‘do you need a little bread? ‘The other said ‘No, for when I used to receive something from you, it was like a fire coming into my house and burning it, but now that I receive nothing from you God Blesses me’ Then the monk went to tell the old man all that had happened and the old man said to him “Do you not know that the work of the monk is of fire, and where it enters it burns? It helps your brother more to do alms with what he reaps from his field and to receive the prayers of the saints and thus to be blessed’
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